Jenn Sterger controversy surrounds Brett Favre on his 41st birthday

Brett Favre spent his 41st birthday on Sunday at the center of a scandal that had the NFL investigating allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to a female employee of the New York Jets in 2008.

The NFL confirmed it had opened an query into whether Favre had violated the terms of the league's personal-conduct policy. Deadspin posted a video on Thursday in which it alleged that Favre had sent inappropriate messages and photos to Jenn Sterger, who was a gameday host for the Jets in the one season he played for the team.

Here's are some updates of how the story developed over the weekend:

The league intends to put the investigation on a fast track, ESPN and Fox Sports reported, although there is no specific timetable for when it might conclude.

Whether Sterger is cooperating with NFL officials is not yet known. Peter King of SI.com and NBC Sports reported on Saturday that she was cooperating. But CBS Sports' Charley Casserly, a former NFL GM, reported on Sunday that she had not yet talked with NFL staffers. If Sterger tells NFL officials that there is truth to the Deadspin allegations, the league will then speak to Favre about them, ESPN reported.

Favre is expected to play for the Vikings in Monday night's game -- which brings him back to New York to play the Jets -- despite having a bout of tendinitis in his arm. Minnesota coach Brad Childress addressed the issue on Saturday. "It's not a distraction to us at all," Childress said, via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "We just don't let it be. We address it, we talk about it and we're done with it. I haven't heard anything. ... It doesn't affect anybody else in this locker room except Brett Favre."

Sterger, who is now a TV personality for the Versus network, has not made public statements yet. Her manager, Phil Reese, told the AP that she "did not provide Deadspin with any information."

The Jets referred questions about the allegations to an outside PR firm. Deadspin had suggested that a Jets PR staffer, Jared Winley, was a go-between for Favre and Sterger. But Jesse Derris, speaking on behalf of the Jets, told the AP that Winley "played no role in this alleged incident."

Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio defended what he said was the veracity of the evidence for the allegations against Favre. He acknowledged having paid for the video, which reveals a voice that has not been confirmed as Favre's leaving suggestive voice messages to Sterger. Daulerio added to the AP of the evidence, "there will be more."

Deadspin reported on Friday that Favre also exchanged inappropriate messages with two female massage therapists that worked for the Jets. The Jets told the AP that the team was providing contact information for the two women in question to NFL investigators.

On Sunday, an ex-Jets masseuse who requested anonymity told the New York Post that Favre sent her racy, inappropriate messages. "He was looking at me like I was a hanging slab of meat," she told the Post.

If NFL security officials find evidence that he violated the league's personal-conduct policy, Favre could be disciplined with a fine or even a suspension. Now in his 20th season, Favre said in August he thinks this will be his final year.

Fox Sports' Jaz Glazer reported on Sunday that the Vikings are nervous about the potential effects the investigation could have on Favre. A worst-case scenario could see him suspended, with his legacy tarnished, or serve to affect his on-field performance negatively, in a way similar to how Tiger Woods' play plummeted in 2010 after a sex scandal derailed his marriage.

But fellow Fox analyst Michael Strahan dismissed the impact the Sterger case would have on the Vikings, at least in the short term. "How convenient that this pops up the week the Vikings are playing the Jets?" Strahan said on Fox NFL Sunday. "Vikings players have dealt with Favre distractions in the last two years so they look at this as just another distraction that they're used to."

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About Nate Davis

Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate